Brewologist: Good karma, black dog memories and a fine beer

Oct. 26, 2011

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News Journal

ROSCOE'S HOP HOUSE PALE ALE

Brewery: Brewed by Roscoe's Hop House by way of Genesee Brewing Co., Rochester, N.Y. (www.geneseebeer.com, @GeneseeBrewery on Twitter)

Stats:5.3 percent alcohol by volume.

Notes: Nice hop note in the finish.

Price: $7.99 for a six-pack.

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I didn't plan to buy beer that night. I still have plenty of brews at home after a party, and I was low on cash. But you know how it is -- sometimes beer happens.

We'd walked into a Meijer store because my wife needed flour to bake bread. I don't much like shopping, and this was even a date night, but I do love my wife and I do love fresh sourdough. So I didn't complain about the grocery stop.

Perhaps my patience brought me some good karma or something. Well, actually, my wife brought the good karma. She asked me, "Do you want to check out the beer selection?"

"I have a ton of beer still," I said, glancing only slightly toward the beer aisle. The Meijer store nearest us is not really convenient for our shopping in most cases, so I was unfamiliar with the store. I figured it probably offered the usual grocery store assortment of Buds, Millers, Coors and wine coolers.

"Are you sure? Looks like they've got an interesting selection," she said. So I looked, and yes, they have an interesting selection. There were a lot of micros from across the country, and I made a mental note that this would be a reliable beer stop when I'm in the area in the future. I still wasn't looking to buy, though, because I had plenty in my own fridge.

Then my bride pointed toward a few selections from Roscoe's Hop House. That was a new brand on me, and I told her so. There was an amber ale, and a pale ale and a Belgian white. Still, I was going to pass.

She asked me again. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, good selection, though."

"Well, you haven't seen that beer anywhere else, and who knows when we'll get back this way." She offered to add it to the grocery haul instead of making me use my nearly depleted mad money.

My wife had a beloved big beast of a dog when she was young, a protector and giant furry friend. The dog's name was Roscoe. More karma? You tell me.

Anyway, I know when I'm beaten and my arm is not all that hard to twist when it comes to hops malts, yeast and barley. "OK," I said. I went back and grabbed Roscoe's pale ale, because it had been a while since I had a pale.

Later, I popped a bottle open. It has a golden, real beer color with a nice head of tight white bubbles. The aroma is not huge, but it is pleasant with a nice floral hop note.

The first impression upon sipping was that it was balanced, but leaned on the hoppy side compared to my preferred pale ales. I tend to want something that leans a bit more toward the malts when I buy a pale. This was good, but not what I expected.

My second impression hit me with the finish. I got a really nice, subtle rush of hops at the end. It was not enough to veer into India pale ale territory, but it was a definite, bright hop presence in the aftertaste. It was bright and floral, with a bit of bitterness.

My third impression was that even Roscoe's didn't hit my idiosyncratic idea of what a pale ale should be, it is a pretty nice beer -- crisp and clean. Throw in a burger or hot dogs off the grill with a load of salty, crispy fries and you've got a good ballgame meal. Garnish it with a relatively low price and you've got a good budget beer.

Roscoe's is a craft beer line produced by the people who make Genesee Cream Ale. Genesee does contract brews for quite a few outfits -- East Coast, Hook and Ladder, Dundee and Narragansett among them. Sometimes contract brews are good, sometimes they are thinly veiled attempts to cut into the craft beer market by some investment group or another.

This Roscoe's pale ale is what I call a pretty good starter beer for budding beer nerds. It's a definite step up from bland lagers, but not likely to scare anyone who has never imbibed anything else. If you've been trying to expand your beer horizons but find dark stouts or super-hopped American IPAs intimidating, you might consider this.

And if you find craft beer prices intimidating, you might consider Roscoe's as well. I'm a guy who is willing to shell out for a good beer, but I'll have no problem saving some money and buying more of this now and then. These days, a budget beer is a good thing.

I liked the Roscoe's pale ale enough to give the amber and Belgian white a try, too. It looks like another trip to Meijer is in the offing; according to Roscoe's website, that's the only place you can buy it in Ohio.

Steve Goble is a copy editor and a beer snob. You can discuss beer by following him on Twitter at twitter.com/brewologist. Brewologist is also on Facebook.